Our story
A cottage is not a room. It is a home with a view.
Nepali Cottage started around a kitchen table in Banepa in 2019 [CLIENT-COPY: confirm founding year and story details], when a group of travel professionals and village hosts decided travelers deserved better than anonymous listings.
How it began
Born around a kitchen table
Our founders had spent years in international tourism - and watched its money flow past the villages it passed through. So they built the model they wanted to see: travelers book the home directly, hosts set their own prices with our guidance, and the community decides how a share of every stay is spent.
- Founded by Nepali tourism professionals and village hosts
- Every cottage visited before listing - and re-visited every year
- Hosts set prices; we advise, never dictate
- Community fund is voted on by the village, not by us
- 2019
- Founded in the Kathmandu Valley [CLIENT-COPY: confirm founding year]
- 18
- Communities in our network [CLIENT-COPY: confirm with Community Homestay Network]
- 200+
- Homes across the network [CLIENT-COPY: confirm current count]
- 12k+
- Guests hosted since 2019 [CLIENT-COPY: confirm guest count]
What we believe
Four values, no exceptions
These are the rules every cottage, host and staff member signs up to.
Community first
A stay is only a success if the village is glad you came. Projects are chosen by the community, and hosts are paid before we take anything.
Craft & heritage
We support traditional Newari carpentry, weaving and cooking - and prefer cottages built and furnished by local hands.
Slow travel
Two nights minimum on most stays. Nepal rewards the traveler who stays long enough to learn a name or two.
Fair pay for hosts
No OTA commissions, no last-minute rate cuts. Hosts keep the direct rate, and their costs are never subsidized by our margin.
How we choose
Every cottage, in person
Visit every home
A team member stays a night in each candidate cottage - checking beds, bathrooms, safety and the welcome.
Agree on fair pricing
We help hosts set a rate that covers real costs and pays their work, using valley-wide benchmarks.
Train & support hosts
Hospitality basics, hygiene standards, emergency plans and language support - free for every host.
Re-check every year
An annual re-visit and guest review sweeps keep standards high. Underperformers are removed, quietly.
Come see for yourself.
The best way to understand what we do is to sleep in a cottage that does it.